Santa Barbra Santa Monica I Contiki

Santa Barbra only had the pleasure of our company for a short time on the route to LA and for the first time on the tour I felt I was on holiday. And by that I mean; beach, sun, palm trees type of holiday; I know I have been on holiday the whole time but this was something completely different, again.

As soon as we stepped off the bus we were greeted with blue skies, sun and palm trees decorating the edge of the sea. Bliss.

San Francisco I Contiki I Part 2

My room mate and I were up early the next morning again to squeeze in some tourist sites. We had the morning free until a bike ride over the San Francisco bridge and didn't waste anytime in bed so got up and headed deeper into the city. If you chose not to do this (not many did, think they were exhausted) you could enjoy pride or the other city attractions all day.

San Francisco I Contiki Part 1

Making our way to San Francisco (early!) we were greeted with the news we were going to be there during Pride weekend. The city was going to come to life with celebrations but to add to that same sex marriage had just been legalised across the remaining states in the USA. For those who don't know, San Fracisco is one of the most established cities in the world for gay communities and we were going to be there to celebrate the news in such a prominent moment in history! Another memorable few days were in sight.

Yosemite National Park I Contiki

Yosemite National Park: This was the part of the trip I was most excited about. Most people were psyched for San Francisco and as much as I was, I had pintrested the hell out of Yosemite and couldn't wait to see it for real.

For this place, I think you will see pictures are going to be at the center.

sourced National Geographic

Bass Lake - Contiki

ON THE ROAD
Leaving Vegas wasn't the easiest of tasks. A lot of faces, immune systems and pride had seen better days when climbing onto the bus. Eventually empty seats became filled and to much amusement of our tour, we sat, heads banging as he decided to punish us by talking what felt the whole way from Vegas to Bass Lake which consisted of 6 hours of coach time, the longest on the trip.

Coach time was not as bad as I had imaged. It was a great time to make up for the sleep you had missed. There was no pressure to constantly be on the go and breaks were a plenty. Movies were played and we had the chance to brush up on our history from the tour guide who seemed to be an encyclopedia on USA history. Not going to lie, would not like to be up against him on a game of trivial persuit. We even witnessed some coach-e-okey for those who had bought shame upon themselves. (That were late and kept us waiting) Yes, thats karaoke on the coach.

LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN
Bass Lake was a world away from Vegas. Gone was the bright lights, replaced with candles and internet connection was out of the question to the much connected big bright city we had just left behind. And wait is that nature, water and green trees? As a country girl at heart this was a home from home. I love big citys, I am amazed at the buildings and busy life but I do love the peace and quiet of the country and open spaces. It was actually the perfect stop to follow the madness of Vegas in which I think everyone appreciated a little rest time. I love this was included in the trip as it helped show the greatness and diversity of USA.

Las Vegas I Contiki

I joined my group on my third evening of being in Vegas and I was filled with both a mix of excitement and nerves as I wandered down to the lobby to find people. Alone. This was a pretty hard game of 'spot the Contiki crew' when there are so many people in Vegas, so I kept my eyes open for any Contiki folders, books or people with huge suitcases and a game face for adventure. An Irish girl approached me who ended up being my room mate for the trip. Celebrations in my head took place, I found my buddy. Eventually we found the rest of the new starters who were from both UK, Australia and New Zealand. Let the Contiki experience begin..

THE BIG ROCK I GRAND CANYON

One thing that has always been on my bucket list is the Grand Canyon. The epic views, the mass space and rock has always fascinated me and it keeps making its way onto my Pinterest boards no matter how many pictures I see.

Hello Vegas I Pre Contiki

TRAVEL IN STYLE
My adventure started as soon as I left little London and boarding ultra fabulous Virgin Atlantic Airways. I had to mentioned this as it was such an awesome start to the holiday. If ever travelling and can, choose this airline. There was so many amazing movies to watch, a never ending supply of snacks and the comfy seats set my trip off to a top start, I didn't sleep a wink with excitement.

Just like new I DIY

Earlier this year I moved into my new rental in London with one of my best friends. Exciting! We felt like we hit jack pot with this place, it was so clean, modern and central (location); something considered gold dust in London.

One thing both a pro and a con was that it was unfurnished meaning we had to kit the whole house out top to bottom. Our landlords provided us with anything major that we needed but surprisingly we managed to borrow, steal (sorry mum) and find a few major things from both our houses. Secretly, I think my mum was pretty chuffed at the excuse to get a new sofa.

For my bedroom I managed to use my brothers old wardrobe and bedside table and despite normally being a lover of a good interior shop, challenged myself to renovating it.

California Highlights I Contiki

I don't actually know how to start writing this post; I just want to word vomit across the whole of the page. There is so much to say and so many pictures to post, it is taking everything in me to contain my excitement. I wanted to share the holiday I went on this Summer with Contiki Travel and somehow, I will get through it in some comprehensible English. I thought I'd begin by sharing the what and why.

sourced from contiki.com

Ok, first things first, Contiki. Whats the deal?
Contiki is a Australian founded company that offers adventures / holidays to 18-35 year olds. From USA, Europe to New Zealand, the world is your oyster. Go with a friend or by yourself, join a group and take a tour to whatever destination for you. BOOM that's it in a nutshell.

Accommodation, transport, a selection of meals and activities are all taken care of you. Pick and choose extra activities as you wish, all with the guidance of your handy tour manager and a bunch (around 40) full of awesome people sharing the journey with you.

But why did I go?
For me it was ideal. I have a full time job that I am not quite ready to sack off. I wanted adventure, I wanted to fulfill the travelling gap year I never took - all in a short space of time and with a reasonable budget. I was bored by the idea of sunbathing on a beach for a week, I needed something more at this point in my life. All of my friends are in relationships or couldn't quite afford it but I felt why should I miss out? If you are in the same single boat, you don't have to is the answer.

I love that this is on offer to people, I feel so passionate about it. Yes, I could get a plane completely solo and 'possibly' meet people on the way but this is better, its nice to know other people are waiting for you at the other side yet you know completely nothing about them. This opportunity gives you the feeling that little singleton over here for once, isn't taking the spare seat on the end of the table, you don't have to get in the carriage behind in the roller coaster, you can belong.

Having everything organised for you was another amazing factor about the trip. Working long hours at a computer screen meant the last thing I wanted was to spend hours trailing through websites. The one decision of choosing my post accommodation was stressful enough.

Out of the comfort zone
Is it scary? Yes, its quite daunting. Yes its exciting telling everyone, "I'm going by myself to America" Not going to lie, I felt pretty smug with independence but inside I was a nervous wreck. What if people don't like me and I make no friends? But I soon came to tell myself it couldn't be that bad. If that did happen, I would come back still richer; having witnessed some amazing sites friends or not. Of course that was one great thing about the trip. YOU DO make friends. You can chat online before and even if you don't, everyone is completely open no matter who you are or where your from. Not making friends is simply not a option.

sourced from contiki.com

Where to go
Ok, so I made the decision to go, read all the reviews and now to choose the tour. This is the hard part, there are so many and each and every one sounds amazing. I finally selected California Highlights - 8 days from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. This seemed a good basis for my budget and two week time frame and meant I could do my own thing either side as well. I'll talk you through the days in my following posts but for more information on the tour click the link. It took a while to decide where to go but I decided on California because simply, how awesome does it sound, how idyllic is it on the TV and the sun is shining all year round. No, realistically I wanted to go somewhere English speaking so if I id fall by myself language wouldn't be so daunting. The west coast is heaven on a plate and quite frankly I needed it.

How it works
There is one over arching tour that goes from start to finish. Mine was called Wild Western and then mini tours jump on and off. So California Highlights was the last tour that joined on. I got on when people had already been together for about 8 days and also one group got off at Las Vegas so I didn't meet them. Some others departed in San Francisco. In total there is about 40 people on your bus at a time. Don't get me wrong, everyone was welcoming, lovely and friendly but friendships naturally had formed by then and I wish I had been there at the beginning of it all. That is just the only thing I regret (sorry Contiki I know that is breaking your rule of #noregrets) I wish I did the full tour.

sourced from contiki.com

I booked a few days prior and post my tour to do my own thing so in hindsight I could have done the whole tour and it would have probably cost me less. One thing I shoot myself in the foot for but until you do one, you would never know.

Great thing about Contiki is you can use it in the middle of a grander travelling scheme. You can use it how you need. Whether you are going for a few months and want to meet people on the way or whether you need just a holiday where its all sorted for you, its up to you. Lots of people went off together after the tour if they were heading the same direction so one piece of advice; keep your plans flexible.

The final blab
I think you know what I am going to say. I'm sorry ok, excuse the cheese. It was amazing and one of the best decisions I ever made. I don't think I will ever forget the memories, the people I met, the things I saw.  My tour manager said (my adapted version) you can go see San Francisco bridge or gamble in a casino and it'll be awesome, of course it will but actually the memories you have are the times you had with the people you shared them with. I feel a bit of Miley Cyrus coming on (it's all about the climb) if you are getting my drift.

sourced from contiki.com

I could write for hours but theres plenty of more posts to fill. This one was just to tell you what its about and why I did it and if you are wondering, yes, you should do it. Don't look back, book the plane ticket, go for the longest tour the furthest away and head straight in. They are right you know, you won't regret it.

Get ready, get steady, get FIT!

Image courtesy of http://fashion.technewsexpress.com

A new year, a new you. That's what they say and it's all about getting organised, exploring new things and the inevitable; the notorious new years resolutions that help you feel like you are reinventing yourself. I love how people feel like it's a chance for a new slate when actually its just a day difference. Secretly though, I do like the reason to set new goals.